The age of reason has never been a part of Detroit's psyche

[judymcfarlane]

I will soon be seventy six and I recall, as a child, a woman who drove her electric car to church every Sunday. Quietly it passed through the streets of Grosse Pointe, a potted palm resting from floor to top in what would have been the passenger side and she, the driver, seated on what appeared to be a curved love seat.

The invention of the electric car is not new. It's conception was killed by an industry so tied to oil that any thought or ideas or inventions which relied on alternative methods for transportation were firmly destroyed.

When we consider the cost that the nation has paid to protect oil interests, one can easily conclude that had those costs gone instead to maintaining our inner cities, high education standards, affordable and energy efficient homes and buildings, lower tax burdens, universal health care and college educations for all who are worthy and capable of reaching graduate goals. Instead, we continue to spend money on wars and missions impossible in the middle east and while doing so, we manage to aid emerging nations while ignoring the needs that are vividly clear when we drive through places like Detroit.

As long as Detroit and Michigan itself resists going green, the age of reason will remain an enigma and the people who live in all inner cities will continue to live without hope.

[Jimaz]

Welcome to the forum, Judy.

Although depressing, that was one of the best first posts I've ever read here. You obviously put some work into it.

Were you referring specifically to Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason? I'm guessing not.

Sincerely.

[Lt. Dan Bassett]

I've always thought that anything or anybody from east of Woodward was worthless [[especially GP) because of elitist attitudes. Yep, I know there are holes in my logic [[mom grew up in State Fair/Charleston neighborhood). However, my years of experience as a west sider venturing across the divide have always confirmed this. Until now.

[Gistok]

I've always thought that anything or anybody from east of Woodward was worthless [[especially GP) because of elitist attitudes. Yep, I know there are holes in my logic [[mom grew up in State Fair/Charleston neighborhood). However, my years of experience as a west sider venturing across the divide have always confirmed this. Until now.

We Eastsiders are not elitists... we just cannot abide people who think they're better than everyone else... it makes it that much harder for those of us that really are!

[Ray1936]

Interesting first post. I must submit that my thinking lies in the area that if green was attractive economics, we wouldn't be talking about it but doing it. At least in the short term.

[lilpup]

The invention of the electric car is not new. It's conception was killed by an industry so tied to oil that any thought or ideas or inventions which relied on alternative methods for transportation were firmly destroyed.

Typical West Coast elitist propaganda.

Detroit isn't the problem, American consumers are.

[judymcfarlane]

No. from my memories. I left Michigan at age 20 and when I returned for my first visit, age 30, Detroit was already in a slide, so, around 1966. Next and last visit for my father's death, my age 40, Detroit was in the dumps. I do occassionally, but reluctantly, hear from friends who also grew up in the Pointe and remained there until retirement. They go back often and what infuriates me is their comments re: Detroit. "Grosse Pointe hasn't changed one bit since our high school days. Still wonderful. You really don't even notice Detroit."

I tell them that maybe there lies a major problem, but it goes right over their "upright" heads!

[judymcfarlane]

yeah, well, I left at age 20 and have nothing in common with those who never left GP, are still there, and still believe that Detroit doesn't exist. God, even as a teen, crossing the city limits and the Wall, I wondered, "How come everyone on this other side doesn't come over the wall and kill us?"

[judymcfarlane]

I wish I belonged to the group, elitist, lilup. I left Michigan at age 20 and have returned just three times in 56 years because living in the west is easier unless you live in the inner cities and this is true of our entire nation. The inner cities have been totally neglected even in the "WEST". As a nation we squander our money, hell, even Paris could probably get more aid, if asked for, then places like Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and even in places like the capital of Calif. By the way, I live on the Oregon coast and my county has the highest unemployment in Oregon and I live on social security after, at almost age 76, simply could not work any longer.

[judymcfarlane]

I don't think that we Americans like to think long term. Which is why we're still where we are. We just don't seem capable of being patient for more than one week at a time, let alone long term goals.

[old guy]

Typical West Coast elitist propaganda.

Detroit isn't the problem, American consumers are.

I don't know lilpup, it's hard for consumers to decide what they want and then expect them to show up on the market. I think if the economy was stronger we'd be seeing more sales of electric and hybrid cars. Then the price would go down and the technology would likely improve. I realize it's still a tough sell, but it is happening. Unfortunately we're still at the 4 pound $5000 cell phone stage.

[Hermod]

I will soon be seventy six and I recall, as a child, a woman who drove her electric car to church every Sunday. Quietly it passed through the streets of Grosse Pointe, a potted palm resting from floor to top in what would have been the passenger side and she, the driver, seated on what appeared to be a curved love seat.

The invention of the electric car is not new. It's conception was killed by an industry so tied to oil that any thought or ideas or inventions which relied on alternative methods for transportation were firmly destroyed.

Judy, I am 72 and also living on SS plus a couple of pensions.

If there had been a technological breakthrough in batteries, the electric car might have had a different future. It wasn't just in cars. Many devices that consume electricity and which must be independent of the grid do not reach their full potential because of the limitations of battery life. We have made advances in the minaturization of batteries [[remember cell phones the size of a brick?), but we are not there yet. You cannot keep your laptop operating for very long without access to a 110V socket. Your iPod, iPad, and cell phone have a finite life away from the grid. Now try to power a car for any meaningful distance with a battery.

During WWII, the navy needed more powerful and longer-lived batteries for their submarines. They finally went to a snorkel and then to nuke power because of the shortfalls in battery technology.

Think of how much cheaper light rail would be with battery-powered cars instead of overhead wire. Battery powered streetcars [[and buses) have been tried in the past, but always came up short.

The Chevy Volt is expensive and appears is not quite ready for prime time as there have been battery problems.

[antongast]

Judy, I am 72 and also living on SS plus a couple of pensions.

...and you think the government spends too much money?

[313WX]

...and you think the government spends too much money?

You're going to get that type of logic from majority of senior citizens.

All government spending is too much until their SS and Medicare are impacted.

[Hermod]

...and you think the government spends too much money?

Yes I do. I have been there and seen it. You turn me loose in any gummint office at any level with a copy of their org chart and a stack of non-recourse pink slips and i will save you a bundle on personnel costs without affecting the work being done. Hell, i would work for free for the Detroit EFM in reviewing the clowncil staffs.

Read "Parkinson's Law sometime and you will see how government employment grows without regard to the work to be done. They gerrymander offices to jack up the authorized grades, They upgrade their secretaries to admin assistants while the work stays the same.

[gnome]

So Judy, what kind of electric car do you have now, how long have you had it and would you buy one for your first grandchild?

[antongast]

Yes I do. I have been there and seen it. You turn me loose in any gummint office at any level with a copy of their org chart and a stack of non-recourse pink slips and i will save you a bundle on personnel costs without affecting the work being done. Hell, i would work for free for the Detroit EFM in reviewing the clowncil staffs.

Read "Parkinson's Law sometime and you will see how government employment grows without regard to the work to be done. They gerrymander offices to jack up the authorized grades, They upgrade their secretaries to admin assistants while the work stays the same.

That's a separate issue from whether we should be investing in transit [[what did you call it? Toonerville Trolley?) here in my city where I live, so that my neighbors and I can go places. You resent having to pay taxes to help me get around? Maybe I resent having to pay taxes to keep you fed and clothed and housed with a computer and an Internet connection and plenty of free time to spout off on DetroitYes about how much contempt you have for Detroit and its residents. Just saying.

[mwilbert]

Read "Parkinson's Law sometime and you will see how government employment grows without regard to the work to be done. They gerrymander offices to jack up the authorized grades, They upgrade their secretaries to admin assistants while the work stays the same.

There is certainly some truth to this, but that is often the result of badly thought out pay schemes, not because they are overpaying the administrative assistants [[and there really aren't any secretaries anymore--long gone.)

But I have to agree about the electric cars; electricity storage turns out to be a much harder problem than burning gasoline. Of course, people have been working on improving internal combustion engines pretty continuously for over 100 years. Until recent years, nothing like that much effort was put into batteries or other electrical storage devices, so I'm still hoping someone will come up with something that is effective.

[lilpup]

Not true - battery technology has also been substantially improved over the years thanks to a lot of R&D, but it still isn't large scale/long duration viable in a cost effective manner yet.

[ordinary]

...and you think the government spends too much money?

[/IMG]

Was that Captain Picard [[sp)? Please explain what that's supposed to mean.

[fryar]

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/facepalm

[ordinary]

Thanks Fryar. So that's [[meme) what my son was talking to me about yesterday. I was nodding my head and pretending I was comprehending what he was saying. I guess I'm gettin' old.

[Downtown Dave]

Not to threadjack, but on the subject of memes, this one is pretty good, regarding the use of pepper spray on UC Berkely/Occupy protesters: Sunday in the Park With U.C. Campus Cops
- and be sure to also check out the video [["this link") at the site.

[Zacha341]

Yeah, it's a trip to keep up with all of the new image terrain and subtle and not subtle meanings therein.

Thanks Fryar. So that's [[meme) what my son was talking to me about yesterday. I was nodding my head and pretending I was comprehending what he was saying. I guess I'm gettin' old.

[Hermod]

...and you think the government spends too much money?

I haven't gotten my SS forecast for the new year as of today, but I did get my wife's forecast:

Social Security Benefit: $569.70
Medicare Part B Deduction: $319.70
Monthly SS Check: $250.00

Mine is a bit larger, but I still end up with only about $350 in my SS Check.

So the two of us pay about $640 a month for our Medicare Part B.